


From Christmas to New Year

by Vissionary_Writer



Category: Paddington (Movies), Paddington Bear - Michael Bond
Genre: Abusive Parents, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Drama, Family Issues, Family Reunions, Meet the Family, Multi, New Year's Eve, Other, Parent-Child Relationship, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-10-20 13:40:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20676308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vissionary_Writer/pseuds/Vissionary_Writer
Summary: New Year's is coming soon! Mr. Brown's parent came for visit, and they seemed to enjoy their time until the unexpected guest arrive.





	1. Chapter 1

**25th of December - Home For Retired Bears **

At the balcony by the sunrise, Lucy is pouring herself a cup of tea as Paddington’s letter is placed next to her marmalade sandwich plate. She sat back on the rocking chair after she finished pouring her tea, and then opened Paddington’s letter with a tea cup in her hand.

_ “Merry Christmas Aunt Lucy” _

**Meanwhile, at 32 Windsor Gardens.**

_ “I’m so happy to hear that you are coming to celebrate the new year with us” _

Paddington in the same red hat, sat next to the window in the attic, gazing out the window where the cabbie just arrived at the front door.

_ “Mr. Brown’s parents just arrived here today, they booked a room at the Hilton Hotel almost a month before we actually called them!” _

“Let’s go! Paddington, Grandma and grandpa’s here!” Jonathan’s voice came from the attic stairs.

Paddington quickly put on his blue duffel coat, and rush to greet Mr. Brown’s parents who looked at him in confusion.

“Mom, Dad, this is Paddington” Henry introduced and gestured at Paddington.

Henry’s parents remained silent for a moment before they squealed, and jumped in joy, “This is so cool!” Henry’s mom beamed, “Hi! AAUGH AAUGH GRR GRR!”, Henry’s dad tried to mimic a bear’s voice making his son, and grandchildren look at him awkwardly.

“He understands English, dad” Henry told him.  
“Oh! Okay” he replied, “Nice to meet you, I’m Montgomery, in short Monty” he added with a wink before shaking hands with Paddington.  
“And I’m Harley” Henry’s mom added, and patted her chest.  
“Can we go inside?” Judy asked as she started shaking, “It’s freezing out here!”  
“Of course!” Harley replied, and all the Browns went inside the house.

_ “I was so excited when Mrs. Brown showed me the family special album that is updating only once a year!” _

** _~ Flashback ~_ **

The album included the pictures of every New Year’s celebration since Mr & Mrs Brown’s early dating years to after marriage, becoming parents, and then adopting Paddington. Monty, and Harley participate the event almost every year except last year when Paddington was first adopted. However, after Paddington skimmed through the pages he started to realize something…

_ “There are no signs of Mrs. Brown’s parents coming, I guess the invitation must have been lost.” _

Paddington closed the album, and a small envelope fell down on the floor. He picked it up, and looked at the address. 

> “From: Mary Poulette Brown  
32 Windsor Gardens  
London
> 
>   
To: Mr. & Mrs. Poulette  
76 Upper Richmond Rd  
Putney, London”

It’s the letter that Mary wrote to her parents, but had never sent. Paddington looked at the address, and thought.

_ “So I’ll send them another invitation to make sure they come!” _

**Meanwhile, in Putney, London**

Mr. Poulette stepped down the stairs, and walked to the letterbox at the door. He skimmed through the addresses to see who it’s from, and stopped immediately after he saw one address.

> “From: Paddington Brown  
32 Windsor Gardens  
London
> 
> To: Mr. & Mrs. Poulette  
76 Upper Richmond Rd  
Putney, London”

** _~ Flashback Ended ~_ **

The Browns entered the kitchen, and start cooking as they talked about life. Mary Brown seems to get along pretty well with Monty, and Harley, and they also welcomed Paddington with open arms. They might be goofy, and embarrass Henry at times, but he’s also happy to see them.

_ “I hope Mr. & Mrs. Poulette will reply, because it’s my new year gift to Mrs. Brown. _  
_ Lots of love from Paddington.” _

The whole family sat at the table, and enjoyed their dinner, they were so happy. They sat on the floor near the Christmas tree and start exchanging gifts. Paddington handed Monty a present box, and Monty opened it. It’s a 70% coupon at Gruber's Antiques.  


“Mr. Brown told me you collect roller skate shoes, and my friend Mr. Gruber had a very beautiful pair.” Paddington explains, “It’s reserved for you, and ready to be picked up before New Year’s Eve.”.  
“Oh, darling. We’ve got a cosmic connection!” Monty replied, and handed Paddington his present.  
“Thanks, sir” Paddington replied, and opened the box.

It’s a coupon for 1 free dish at The Marmalade shop at The Portobello Market! The expiration date is also New Year’s Eve! Judy, and Jonathan gave Mary a red balloon that said “We love you MUM!”.

“Oh! Thank you!” Mary beamed, and took the balloon, “Woah, it’s heavy.”, she added, and then looked at her children, “Wait, why are you guys wearing raincoats?”.

Instead of replying, Judy pulled out a needle, and popped the balloon, causing the water to explode right into her mother’s face.

“Surprise!” Judy, and Jonathan shouted as Mrs. Bird wiped the wet floor.

Mary laughed and looked down in her hands. Expecting to find a flat balloon, she instead found a pair of red swimming goggles. 

“You like it?” Jonathan ask.  
“Our budget is pretty tight, so I shared the price with Joe, and added the balloon as an extra” Judy explained.  
“Of course! I love it!” Mary replied with tears before she held her children.

Henry unwraped his gift, and turned the frame around. It’s his graduation photo, he remembered back in high school no one wanted to be near him due to his strict, and responsible behaviour. He often bored his friends, and as a result no one wanted to take any photos with him on graduation day.

He smiled, and looked at the shaggy hair girl in big glasses that stood next to him in the photo, and then looked at Mary as she held her children...their children.

“You have married the right woman, son” his father said, and patted his back.  
“I did,'' he replied.

He hung the photo frame on the wall, and looked at the family he had made. Everything before him wouldn’t be possible without his amazing wife.

“Mary…”  
“Yes?” The woman turned around at the call.

Judy, and Jonathan let go of their mum after Henry took her hand, and pulled her into his embrace.


	2. It’s Okay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special Thanks to Russell Ashworth(arashworth.writer) for proofreading:)

Last night was one of the coldest nights in London, but somehow it was the warmest Christmas the Brown family ever had. The sun rose up in the sky, revealing the pastel colour of every house. Paddington rushed down from the attic, and stopped at the queue of Mr., and Mrs. Brown, and Jonathan, who were waiting to use the bathroom. 

“PLEASE! GRANDMA! I need to use the bathroom,” Jonathan cried as he jogged in one place.  
“Come, take the front.” Henry replied, and let Jonathan stay in front of him, and Mary as Monty, and Harley still use the bathroom.

Judy walked up the stairs and looked in confusion at everyone. 

“You guys know we have 1 toilet downstairs, right?” she asked. Jonathan rushed to the stair and disappeared. “Thank god, I woke early,” she laughed.

The big Brown family left the house and headed for the Ice Skate Stadium. Once they were there, they put on their shoes, and entered the rink. Judy and Jonathan managed to pick it up fast, and skated along with their grandparents. But it seemed like their parents weren’t that lucky. 

Mary managed to balance herself, but struggled to move. Paddington tried to pull Henry forward, but all of them end up stumbling. So they visited an arcade, and played their old school games.

After skating, they went home to rest, and then went for bowling in the next day. As Monty and Harley watched Henry and Mary together, they talked to each other about how Henry and Mary looked so happy and carefree just like the Bullseye Brown and Dashy Mary from their heyday, when they were younger. _ What could they do to surprise Mary and Henry? _

So after talking it over with their grandkids, Monty and Harley rented a motorbike, and surprised them in the next morning with the bright red Triumph motorbike waiting outside the front door.

It was freezing that morning! The temperature was below 5°C, and the road was white with the snow. But somehow, Mary and Henry stayed warm, without any coat or hat. Henry wore only his blue hippie outfit and helmet with Mary holding him from behind, wearing her pink floral dress. It was just like their first date 20 years ago.

* * *

It was two days before New Year’s Day, when Aunt Lucy would arrive. Mrs. Bird took out all her vacuums, including Hetty, James, Henry, and Charles, and handed them to the Browns. She gave Monty a broom, and Harley a mop. Then they started cleaning the house.

They swept, vacuumed, and then dusted the entire house. And when they finally finished, they decorated the walls with pictures of generations of the Browns! Paddington looked at all the pictures in awe.

“Hey! Look at this one!” Judy said, and pointed at one of the pictures.  
It was her and Jonathan, back when they were in kindergarten.   
“I was taller than you!” she continued.  
“Hahahaha...so funny” Jonathan replied sarcastically.  
“But you do have your mom’s face, though.” Henry noted, as he looked at Jonathan standing right next to Mary.  
“I think I have my youngest pic here.” Mary replied, and opened her wallet.

She pulled out a folded photograph, and showed it to everyone. They looked back at Jonathan’s photo, and then at hers. They looked exactly the same!

“Well, Henry didn’t have my face, but he does have my style,” Monty stated, and pointed at one of his pics from back in the ‘60s and ‘70s. “Father and son,” he added, and pointed at Henry’s photo back when he had long hair and hippie clothes.

Henry face-palmed and turned away. A horn sounded outside.

“Oh, my family’s here!” Mrs. Bird said, and picked up her luggage. “Happy New Year! See you next week!” 

The Brown’s went with her to the cab, and waved as the car drove away.

* * *

**Portobello Market - 30th December**

The big Brown family entered the shop where Mr. Gruber was waiting with a box in his hands. He offered Monty the couch, and put the skate shoes on him.

“Wow! They’re nice!” Monty commented, and wiggled his feet.  
“The size is okay, right?” Gruber asked, “I can call the shoemaker here if it's too tight.”.  
“No, it’s okay, you already gave me a discount.” Monty replied.   
“Are you sure? If doesn’t fit, it can dangerous.” Gruber told him. 

Monty has been skating for 40 years. He knew what he needed, but he just didn't want to bother Mr. Gruber. Mary saw that he would need a bit of convincing, so she turned to Paddington, and handed him the map. 

“The marmalade shop is here.” She told him, and pointed at the orange emoji on the map, “You can go first, I’ll catch up later.”   
“Thank you, Mrs. Brown,” Paddington replied, and left the shop. 

He walked down the market, and followed every instruction on the map. And once his finger stopped at the orange emoji, he stopped, and looked at the shop before him.

“Yo! Bear!” A black chubby woman called him, “Welcome to Marmaland!”.

Paddington gasped, and looked at all the foods in the shop. It’s all Marmalade! Pie, smoothies, sandwiches, and burgers! He wanted it all!

“What do you wanna eat?” She asked with a heavy Jamaican accent. 

He handed her the coupon, and pointed his finger at the large Marmalade pie.

“Oh, sorry bear.” she replied, “that one isn’t included in the coupon,” she explained. “That coupon can be used with only smoothie, cupcakes, and cookies. You can try some,” she finished, and pointed at the small cup in front of a big cookie jar. 

Paddington reached his hand closer, and once it was almost in the cup, an old man’s voice stopped him. 

Paddington jerked, and turned around to see an old man standing with his wife, “How could you put your paw in a food plate!” the old man scolded. 

“I’m-I’m sorry, sir.” Paddington replied shakily. “I just-”   
“Is everything alright?”

Paddington sighed in relief, he recognized the voice belonged to Mary Brown. The old couple turned away from him and gasped when they saw Mary. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth hung open when she saw who they were. 

_ “Mom? Dad?” _

* * *

“Oh my god! This is the worst Christmas ever!” Mary groaned.   
“Thank god I told my parents to go back to the hotel first,” Henry sighed.   
“How did they even find our address!? We live like 8 miles away from them! There’s no way they could just pop up here!” Mary croaked, and looked in the rear view mirror at her parents’ car behind them. 

Paddington curled up at the back seat as Judy, and Jonathan completely ignored the complaint. This was the first time Paddington ever saw Mary angry, he didn't know how to confess without making it worse. But he knew he had to confess, to tell the truth.

“Actually... I mailed them.” Paddington confessed quietly.  
“You did WHAT!?” Mary shouted, and slammed the steering wheel.   
“It’s okay, Mary.” Henry said surprisingly gently. “It’s just 2 nights, and then they will be gone.”.   
“Okay.” Mary sighed, “I’m sorry I got you all into this.”  
“It’s okay, no big deal.” Henry replied, and looked at the rear view mirror.

The Browns opened the door, and let the Poulettes inside the house. They looked around, scanning everything.

“Pretty cosy.” Mr. Poulette said, and everyone smiled, “But isn't this too childish?”.  
“Dad…” Mary sighed.  
“Just commenting” he replied as Henry put the keys away, and the kids rushed up the stairs.

Henry entered his office, and called his parents as Mary get inside the kitchen, and started cooking. The kids walked down the stairs in pajamas, and sat on the table where the Poulettes, and Henry were waiting for the meal. Mary set the dinner on the table, and let the most awkward dinner began.

“So where are we going to sleep?” Mr. Poulette started.   
“You guys can take my room.” Jonathan replied, “I’ll sleep with him” he added, and fist bump with Paddington.   
“My grandson will not sleep with the bear” Mrs. Poulette replied, “How could you let a bear walk freely in your house!?”.   
“Seriously, he needs to be locked in a cage!” Mr. Poulette added, and aggressively pointed at Paddington.   
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, that’s enough!” Mr. Brown stood up, “No one talks to my son like that”.   
“And you can mess up my life, but leave my kids alone!” Mary shouted, and stood by Henry’s side. 

And that’s when the fight began. The kids decided to stay out of the kitchen, but remained at the door way. They barely understood what the adults were fighting about, because all they heard was screaming. Henry tried his best to calm it down, but it seemed like he was completely ignored by everyone, so he joined the kids and watched at the doorway. 

“Since the day I was born, you guys never believed that I was capable of making my own decisions!” Mary started.   
“Only because we care about you.” Mr. Poulette reply simply, “You’re stronger with those parents issues.”   
“No! You both always act like you know everything when you don’t even try to understand anything!” Mary explained, “Like how you criticized my parenting, after what you made me go through in my childhood!”   
“We gave you every possible chance to succeed!” Mrs. Poulette protested. “Business, sport, music, martial arts, criminal justice, and even gymnastics!”

**~Flashback~**

Mary was the best at math, she learned how to swim since she was 5 years old, and was trained in karate since she was 10. When Mary was around 17 she injured her head, and her parents decided to use the tough love thing, and made her go to the hospital all by herself with the bleeding wound.

**~Flashback End~**

“Until you gave it all away for drawing children's cartoons, and being a housewife.” Mrs. Poulette finished.   
“And do we need to remind you about your emotional issue?” Mr. Poulette asked, and Mary threw a cup at the wall, “See? You can’t even hold back your anger. We can read you as easily as an open book!”.   
“Oh! But at least I have become a better person thanks to my kids, and amazing husband, because guess who made me have PTSD in the first place!?” Mary shouted.   
“Fine! Blame us again.” Mrs. Poulette said sarcastically, “But at least we didn’t make you marry the man who knocked you up.”.   
“You guys seriously still think it was a shotgun wedding?” Mary asked, “When will you guys stop being so disapproving of Henry? Do I need to remind you how many times you kept saying: Mary, you will find many more boys you will like in university, because guess what? You can’t be serious with this man.” she mocked them, and sighed, “You guys didn’t even come to the wedding.”   
“Well, we saw enough.” Mrs. Poulette replied, and pulled out the wedding CD.

**~Flashback~**

Mr. and Mrs. Poulette clicked the play button for the wedding video that Mary sent them. In it, Mary was wearing a wedding gown with a microphone in front of her, giving the speech. They watched for a while and stopped when she said, “And look, it’s their own daughter’s wedding. Yet I don’t know where they are! Can I stop being their daughter?” 

**~Flashback End~**

“Did you guys even finish the clip?” Mary asked, “You guys never even let me finish speaking”.   
“No offence”, Mr. Poulette replied, and turned to Henry, “But she could do better with a man who could give her ambitions, than a nitwit at the back of the class.”.   
“Excuse me, this nitwit brings £46,500 to £74,000 into this house per year.” Henry explained.   
“And if it’s a shotgun wedding, it wouldn’t last ten years.” Jonathan added, “And check the date, the wedding was like 5 years after I was born.” He pointed at the wedding photo on the wall. 

The date it was taken was written on the front. Both Judy, and Jonathan in the picture were obviously not in toddler years anymore. 

“And don't forget the fact that traditional wedding is expensive, some people have to make up their debt for years because of it.” Judy explained.   
“And talk about debt, guess who just finished her student loan last year?” Mary asked, “Me! All by myself! No thanks to you!”  
“We know we hurt in many ways, but did you really have to run away like that?” Mr. Poulette asked surprisingly sad.   
“I left, because there was no point in staying.” Mary admitted, “You guys will never change. I wanna start again and get rid of all negativity, even including you.” 

And that words ended the fight between them. Mary sighed and left the room with the kids. Mr, and Mrs. Poulette sat back on the chair, and let Henry clean up the mess.

* * *

After they are sure that everyone was asleep, Mary, and Henry entered the attic with pillows in their hands. Paddington smoothened the bed one last time, and then offered his bed to them. 

“Your bed is ready.” he smiled, and step aside.   
“No, It’s okay,” Henry brushed it off, “We can take the floor.”.   
“What? No!” Paddington protested, “That’s rude! It’s your house, I can’t do that.”.   
“What if we all share the floor?” Mary asked with a smile. 

She slid away the curtain at the other side of the room, and pulled out a box that sat next to the one that was full of trophies. She sat on the floor, and opened the box. Henry, and Paddington joined her side as she was looking for something. 

“Found it.” Mary smiled and pulled out a pillow that was neatly wrapped in a seal. 

She unsealed the wrap, and unfold it, revealing a large blanket with a heart shape in the middle. 

“Wow! You made that?” Paddington asked in surprise.   
“No, it’s from my grandpa.” Mary replied, “I was raised by my grandparents until I was five, I think.”   
“When did you and Mr. Brown moved in together?” Paddington ask.   
“She moved into my parent’s house when we were around 18, I think.” Henry replied, “After her parent…” 

He couldn’t force himself to finish after Mary started to cry again. It was the second time that day, and he had never seen her this emotional. The first he saw her cried in the tub he thought “Is she really crying?”, but after he looked at her again, he knew she wasn’t okay. 

“Hey hey hey,” Henry said quietly, and pulled her to his chest, “It’s okay.”, He rubbed her back as Paddington held her hands. “Don’t stress, it’s gonna give you white hair.”, he joked.   
“Haven’t I already had them since I turned 40?” she asked with a light laugh.  
“Not as many as mine.” Henry laughed. 

He spread the blanket on the floor. Mary placed the pillows in positions. They laid down with Paddington in the middle, and fell asleep. It had been a tiring day. Paddington smiled, and snuggled in their arms just like he did with Lucy and Pastuzo when he was a cub.

He remembered his first cold night here, and the warmer nights after the Browns finally accepted him. He learns new things about them everyday, and knows he has to be there for his mom just like how everyone was there for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you remember the scene that Mrs. Bird collecting the vacuum? it's The Henry Hoover Range. I'm not sure it's a sponsor or simply just props, but no what it is, it's cool!
> 
> The Poulettes's house was in Putney(8 miles away from Windsor Gardens), which is not very far, but I don't think her parents's arrogance will make them patience enough to look for her. So the thing is what Mary thought was there are no way that her parents would look for her, or come see her if someone didn't invite.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Happy New Year!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special Thanks for proofreading:)  
Russell Ashworth(arashworth.writer)  
sallyhfan(https://www.instagram.com/sallyhfan/?hl=th)
> 
> I barely see any antiques in the Browns house, so I guess they didn't buy something from Mr. Gruber that often, but looking at how close he was to the family. I think they must have bought something very precious from him, and the house kind make sense.
> 
> And don't forget to open the music in (...)

A ruffling sound woke Paddington from his sleep, he opened his eyes, and found his left side empty. _ It’s still dark, where did Mrs. Brown go? _ He thought as he sat up and caught the attic door closing.

“Hm? What happened?” Mr. Brown asked in a drowsy state.

He left attic, and walked down the stairs with Paddington, everyone was still sleeping. They entered the kitchen once they got down and found Mary opening the fridge.

“Did I wake you both?” Mary asked guiltily.  
“Oh, Never mind.” Henry replied and prepared the stove. “This is not the first time we have omlette from your parent’s annoyance.”  
“Yeah, I’m sorry about the mess yesterday.” She apologized, “They did wonderful job at getting on my nerves.” she chuckled as she didn’t realized that her parents have been eavesdropping on them.

The Poulettes followed Henry and Paddington to the kitchen, and heard the entire conversation from the very beginning as they leaned up against the wall on the other side.

“Oh! So the omelette is a stress medicine?” Paddington asked innocently.  
“I don’t know.” Mary replied honestly as she cracks an egg while Paddington prepares the plate. “It’s the first meal I learned how to cook.” She explained. “It’s simple, but tastes way better than instant noodles.”  
“And Jonathan hates veggies.” Henry added, and put a pan on the stove. “Adding it in the omelette is the only way to make him eat.”  
“Guess he got it from his mom.” Mary replied. “Vegetables suck..”

They laughed and Judy left her room. She walked her way into the kitchen and gasps when she found the Poulettes. They quickly covered their mouths and signalled her to listen.

“But this menu won’t work with Judy though.” Henry said as they start cooking the egg. “She banned eggs since her breakup.” Judy stopped, and sighed.  
“I wish Tony knew that he just lost the best thing in his life.” Paddington replied “But talk about young love, why did you guys let Judy date at young age?” He asked, “Most parents on TV would rather die than let their daughter date.”  
“Well, real parents do too.” Mary replied, and placed a large omelette on the plate. “But let’s be real, 70% of teens already had at least one romance before they turn 16.” She added, as she placed the meal on the table.  
“So instead of banning the kids from a relationship, we rather let them experience it with our supervision. So we could teach them how to handle a healthy relationship than having sex behind our backs.” Henry explained and they started eating.  
“Besides, remember what we’re like when we were their age?” Mary asked Henry.

**~Flashback~**

The bus stopped in front of the Poulette’s House. Henry, and Mary, in their teenage year stepped down from the bus, and then she snuck Henry into her room.

“Are you sure your parents not gonna be home tonight?” Henry asked.  
“Nah, I don’t think so.” Mary replied, and opened the boardgame’s box(Snakes and Ladders).

They played, and had fun for a while until the door pulled open.

“Hey, Mary” Mr. Poulette started, and gasped when he saw Henry.

Both Mary and Henry screamed, and Mr. Poulette ran away. They sigh and thought everything was gonna be fine until Mr. Poulette returned with a baseball bat.

**~Flashback End~**

“Like I said,” Mary commented, “We're much more similar than you think.”, she repeated the word she said to her daughter, “I tried my best to raise her in my own way, but sometimes the apple just won't fall far from the tree.”  
“Do you regret it?” Paddington asked.  
“No.” They replied without second thought.  
“They are our most precious treasures.” Henry added “They found their dream, and fought for it. We will always be proud of them..._Both of Them_”

Judy smiled at her father’s answer as the Poulettes remained silent.

“And of course, there will be days when they are tired.” Mary started to speak. “That’s why I chose to work at home.” Mary explained “I want them to have a place to come back and rest on the day they feel like they wanna give up.”  
“Fine.” Everyone quickly turned to the door where the voice came from.

It’s Mr. & Mrs. Poulette. Mary, and Henry looked at each other, ‘How much had they heard?’, Henry mouthed his question. ‘I don’t know’, Mary replied.

“How you live your life is your business,” Mrs. Poulette entered the kitchen, “Just don’t forget that women can work too.” she added, as she cleaned the pan.  
“I know.” Mary simply replied. “No one forced me to choose this path.”  
“Whatever.” Mr. Poulette sighed. “You just deserve better than staying at home.” He commented. “And don’t you still miss those adventures you craved when you were little?”

That question silenced Mary, adventures had always been her passion.

“Just think about what you could have if you didn’t run away.” Mr. Poulette continued, “As a daughter you are our biggest disappointment.” Mary sighed at his comment.  
“But as a parent, you both already exceeded us.” Everyone gasped at his comment.  
“What?” Mary asked.  
“Said my piece.” Mr. Poulette replied.

Jonathan hung up the phone, and stormed out of his room. He rushed to the stairs, and down to kitchen.

“Mom! I just got a call from Monty, they’ll be here in 10 minutes!”  
“What!?” Henry asked, and stood up, “Why didn't you tell us sooner?”

Mary and Henry quickly finished their omelettes, and put the plates in the sink. They were about to clean up, but the Poulettes stopped them.

“We’ll do it, you guys go take a shower,” Mr. Poulette told them, “You guys smell like bears!”.

Henry sniffed his pyjama, and nodded at Mary. They left the kitchen, and leave the kids at the door way.

“And you both!” Mrs. Poulette turned to Judy, and Jonathan, “Go dress up.”

The kids followed her command and left Paddington with the coldness of the Poulettes. So he shut his mouth and tried his best to be invisible.

“What’s your name again?” Mrs. Poulette asked, surprisingly gentle.  
“It’s... Paddington, Madame.” He replied shakily.  
“Take care of them, OK?” She said with her back to him.  
“What?” He asked in confusion and at the same time surprised.

They have been treating him with hate since the first time they saw him, and now they are asking him to look after the family? They finally accept him?

“Mary is a kind girl with wild imagination, but at the same time tough” Mr. Poulette told him.  
“She loves her family.” Mrs. Poulette added as she scrubbed the plates, “So if she let you live with her own kids then she must see something in you.”  
“So look after them...this family need you as much as you need them.” Mr. Poulette finished.

Paddington smiled, this is an honour, the biggest honour in his life! He didn’t know how he got so lucky, meeting the Browns was the best gift in his life.

“I will Mr. and Mrs. Poulettes. I promise” Paddington swore.  
“Judith.” Mrs. Poulettes replied, “My name is Judith.”.  
“And I’m Johnny by the way.” Mr. Poulette added.

And then the door bell rang. Paddington, and the Poulettes look at each other, _ who could it be? _ Judy rushed down from the stairs, and opened the door. 

“JUDY!!!” Monty, and Harley screamed, and threw themselves onto her.

They later entered the kitchen with the crumpled Judy, and gasped when they saw the Poulettes.

“Oh my god!” Monty screamed, and rushed to hug the Poulettes.  
“Both Judy, and Jo!?” Harley said in surprise, and kissed them.

Little did they know that another young Judy stood in confusion at the kitchen doorway. Jonathan walked down from the stairs and looked at his sister who remained speechless. “Did someone called my name?” He asked and Judy pointed to the kitchen.

Jonathan turned his face to where she was pointing and found the Poulettes, beaten up by the overloaded love from Monty and Harley.

* * *

Mary wriggled her feet as the bubbles came up to her chin. She sighed, and laid her feet back on the edge of the tub as Henry was scrubbing his face at the sink.

“Something troubling you?” Henry asked as he watched her from the mirror.  
“Are you tired?”  
“Of what?” he asked simply.  
“I don’t know,” she sighed, “being my husband?”.  
“Well, what makes you think I am?” he asked, and rinsed his face.  
“I don’t know,” she replied honestly, “It’s just my parent’s words about differences, arguing...whatever, don’t mind it, but,” she paused to breathed, “I just wanna hear your side. Are you tired of being my husband? Of constantly looking after me or cleaning my mess?”

She watched him as he turned off the tab, and towel his face.

“Well, isn’t that marriage?,” He asked, and then put the towel away, “It’s about sharing, it’s our job to look after one another as much as we take care of ourselves.” he explained, and put on his red knit jumper, “Beside, years ago, I made a promise to you. That I would always cherish you and care for you and love you, no matter what. And that I would always make our marriage my number one priority.”.

That was all he wanted to say, but he knew it’s not enough. He need to be more clear, so he walked closer to sit on the edge of the tub, and continue.

“We might not understand each other or agree on everything all the time, but I’m glad that we both put our relationship before those things. That’s why our fights never last long.” he paused, and blushed lightly, “So no matter what, I will keep that promise forever.”.

He meant it, he really did. She smiled, and reached her left hand to his, let their fingers intertwine. Their wedding rings reflected one another brightly just like their love.

“And you know what? I’m glad you chose to talk to me about this than keep it to yourself.” he added, “I know that everyone has their own personal matters, but if possible, I don't want you to feel like you have to hide your feelings from me. I want you to trust me, I want to be a good husband for you.”  
“You already are.” she told him.  
“Of course! I am” he chuckled, “I let you keep that little bear, didn't I?” they laughed, “Never thought our family was gonna be this big.”

He let go of her hand, and stood up.

“Don’t sit in there too long okay?” he told her before he left their ensuite bathroom, “Your dress is over there.” he told her, and pointed at their bed.

* * *

The kids gathered in the living room, playing Henry’s board game, and let the adults talked in the kitchen. 

“So you both have reconciled with Mary, right?” Harley asked the Poulettes as they sat at the other side of the table.  
“Not really,”, Johnny answered, “She never listened.”  
“Of course, she listened.”, Monty told them, “It’s your guy’s job to guide her, and be there for her, but at end of the day...it’s still her decision”.  
“How she lives her life is her business” Harley reminded them, “Just trust your daughter.”.

That was all they said before Monty left the Poulettes an mp3 player, and joined the kids with Harley in the living room as Henry just got down from the stairs. The Poulettes put on the ear phones and played the mp3.

“To everyone who is listening to me” Mary’s voice came from the player, “I know that my family is not perfect. I was born and grew up with myself. Building a family is never easy for me… but I'm lucky I've chosen the right man, he and our children are always by my side.” and then she paused, “It's never easy to leave everything behind, but...it will always be worth it. And my parents… They are the people who made me who I am today. And look, it’s their own daughter’s wedding. Yet I don’t know where they are! Can I stop being their daughter?”, she laughed, and the Poulettes closed their eyes, “But even though we don't always understand each other, it doesn't mean that any of us could stop being family, and that was it...I think.".

The Poulettes smiled, and held each others hands as Mary came down from the stairs. She looked at the most recent family photo, and thought about the words that her parent kept telling her. Since she was little she never felt she belonged anywhere, that’s why she craved adventure...to leave London, and never come back.

_ “But in the end ... I still settled down in London, and is this life worth the dream I left?”_

[ _(...)_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPflwsxjL8g)

She asked herself, and reminiscing the first time she saw Henry back when he was a boy in a blue duffel coat. She remembered them playing princess and knight, and sneakly playing boardgames in her bedroom when they were teens. 

Her parents never approved of their relationship, so they remained friend, and were there for each other till Mary reached her boiling point in senior year, and left her parents. There are no words to describe the pain she felt on that day, but her parent's blank face fueled her anger as she watched them from the cab window. Henry’s parent gave her the best hospitality, but she knew she can’t rely on them forever...it’s wrong.

So she fought for her scholarship, and got a small job to pay for her small flat as she sustained her life with instant noodles. Henry visited her every time he could, and they engaged at her graduation ceremony. They lived together in a small flat, and started saving money to buy their dream house until it all fell down when Mary discovered she was pregnant. They had no choice more than buying a smaller house to save money for the baby.

However, despite all the difficulty, they met Mrs. Bird, the house keeper, and Mr. Gruber the old owner of the house. They went on a bike together one last time, and then Judy was born. And becoming a father does strange things to a man, but despite all the changes, Henry never left her side.

They lived together happily in their cosy home in Windsor Gardens, and then Jonathan followed 2 years after his sister. They had a small wedding in a park with all the friends from Judy and Jonathan’s elementary school attending. Monty and Harley were there too, but Mary’s parents didn’t come… so she vowed to herself that she wouldn't think of them again as she held her new family tight. And everything was simple until she saw a young bear at the train station.

He became a part of their family, and that opened the door to the adventures that Mary herself couldn’t even imagine whether it’s the fight on the museum’s roof or the time she dove countless meters of water to save Paddington. She remembered the moment she brought sleeping Paddington home after The Central Family Court, and that was the moment that led up to this... the most recent family photograph that she was looking at.

It all made sense to her now… despite all the horrible things that happened in her life, she would never trade this moment with anything in this world. She wants to move forward with her family, and grow old with Henry. That is the life she wants, she might have lost her childhood, but she had gained her day, here with her family.

_ “And It’s Worth It… All Of It…” _

She smiled as Paddington stood by her side, holding her hand. He turned his face back to the kitchen where the Poulettes stood at the door way. He had brought her his gift... they are his gift. But no matter what, her life is hers. She will take it or not, it’s her decision… he’ve done his part.

Mary looked at them as they remained silent. She knew they’ll never apologize her for their action just like how they held their pride like they shouldn’t hold her...but she didn’t want to drown herself in the past. The more she built walls from people, the more she blocked herself from her own freedom. And it’s been over a decade already, why dwell in it? Everything stays, but there’re still changes. She could give it a chance, and if it doesn’t work, she can leave at any moment… So if they’re not gonna say it, she will say it.

_ “I forgive you.” _

That was all she needed to say. End all suffering and sorrow. It will always be a painful childhood to look back, but now she knows it can't hurt her anymore...she is free.

* * *

Henry stood at the door way as Judy, and Jonathan playing Monopoly with Monty, and Harley. Mary soon approached with Paddington before she’ll let the bear go play with the kids. She remained by Henry's side, and laid her head on his shoulder before his hand came to her shoulder.

“Ha! I owned that!” Jonathan said to Judy’s face, “Pay me! Pay me!”, he added, and held out his hand.  
“Fine!” Judy huffed, and paid him the cash.

And the games went on until the door bell rang. The boys screamed in joy, and jumped up from their seat. They rushed to the door, and quickly opened it as Judy calmly followed after them.

“Happy new year, everyone!” Lucy greeted, and offered a fruit basket before the boys rushed into her arms.  
“It’s nice to see you again, ma'm.” Henry greeted, and invited her inside.  
“Mom! Dad!” Mary called her parents out of the kitchen, “I want you to meet someone!”

The Poulettes left the kitchen, and approached the older bear who held her hand out with a smile. Johnny answered the hand shake awkwardly, and introduce himself.

“Nice to meet you ma’am, I’m Johnny, and this is my wife Judith.” he added, and pointed at his wife.  
“I’m Lucy,” the older bear replied, “Nice to meet you both.”

The kids put Lucy’s basket in the kitchen, and the adults started clearing the table. This is gonna be their biggest New Year’s meal. Henry and Monty brought an extra table down from the 2nd floor, and extended the dining table. Jonathan spread a tablecloth, and Judy placed a portable radio in the middle.

Everyone grabbed their seat, and turned on the radio as Mary placed the meals on the table. She took the seat next to Henry, and they all started eating. They discussed everything that happen this year, and their plan for next year. The dining room was full of joy until the radio began to count down. Everyone paused, and smiled as the numbers continued. And when it finally hit the last number, the whole family burst into cheers.

_ “Happy New Year!” _

* * *

_**~ Dedicated to Everything That Made This Story Possible ~**_


End file.
